The practice of media regulation by EMA to tackle misinformation and disinformation
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Date
2022-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Unless it is managed through strategic and systematic mechanisms, the flow of misinformation and disinformation plays a very destructive role in the socio-economic and political establishment, especially in countries like Ethiopia, which is passing through and struggling with a polarized political system. In the last few years, misinformation and disinformation have thrived in the Ethiopian media ecosystem.
To that end, this work researched the regulatory approaches and strategies used by EMA to combat the phenomenon of misinformation and disinformation in the Ethiopian media landscape. This specific research has focused on the effectiveness of strategies and tools used in regulating misinformation and disinformation, particularly since the outbreak of the northern Ethiopia conflict.
The study was conducted using qualitative research methods through in-depth interviews and document analysis. Participants were purposefully selected from EMA, media practitioners, and media experts. The researcher also reviewed legal and regulatory documents from the EMA and other related media documents. Data collection was performed using an in-depth interview. The findings of the study pointed out that EMA‘s effort to tackle misinformation and disinformation wasn‘t through sophisticated and defined mechanisms, and the study also showed a lack of collaborative approaches and technologically supported regulatory practice despite the flow of misinformation and disinformation that poses negative and damaging consequences.
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Ethiopian media ecosystem